As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Many of these information handling systems include multilayer circuit boards. Layers of the circuit board may interact with each other through capacitive coupling, which can improve circuit operation through adequate power delivery. Particularly for circuit boards used in conjunction with high frequency components, e.g. high speed microprocessors, the effect of capacitive coupling helps improve the operation of these microprocessors.
The capacitance between the layers of the multilayer circuit board can be increased by decreasing the distance between the layers as far as possible, without short-circuiting the layers. Placing the layers closer together increases the capacitance between the layers, thereby presenting a lower impedance to high frequency signals and providing improved high frequency power delivery.
Spacing the layers too closely, however, may result in a breakdown of the dielectric between the layers if a power plane includes structures that generate high electromagnetic fields (E-fields). To reduce the risk of dielectric breakdown, power plane designs are often inspected visually to identify high E-field structures, which can be identified by their “pointiness.” Since more pointy structures may accumulate and focus electric charge more readily than less pointy structures, power plane structures that are visually identified as pointy may be replaced with less pointy structures.